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Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Quiet Saturday
I think imam coming down with something so I am taking the day to lay low and relax. I've got a bunch of doctors appointments lined up the next two weeks so we will see what's what.
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, March 29, 2013
Happy Friday!
Happy Friday all! For those who celebrate any religious holidays, happy holiday to you. For those who don't, happy end of the week! We made it!
This week has been particularly full of highs and a few lows, but I'm glad to have experienced every moment of it. Today marks the official beginning of a new chapter in my life, where I'm not working/employed and just focused on regaining my health and wellness. I am so thankful to my husband for his unwavering support and hard work to make this work for us. I want to thank my IRL friends as well as my online families for all of their support in making sure that I was ready for today.
After talking about risk all month, I've decided to throw myself back into a serious effort to exercise and eat well. I've definitely fallen off the wagon on both since facing all of the challenges of the last few months, and I am going to recommit myself today to doing things right. For me, that means adopting a mostly paleo lifestyle and working out 4-5 times a week to start. It also means bringing more exercise into my daily activities, like taking longer walks with my dog, doing bodyweight exercises at home, etc.
I am also going to recommit myself to my yoga studies. Not just my yoga practice, but my readings on the path of yoga and the science behind it. It's something I'm passionate about, and I miss it.
Finally, I'm going to recommit myself to cooking healthy and yummy foods. It's a risk because I'm a lousy cook, but I can only get better by practicing.
What risk will you take after a month of hearing me talk about risk?
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This week has been particularly full of highs and a few lows, but I'm glad to have experienced every moment of it. Today marks the official beginning of a new chapter in my life, where I'm not working/employed and just focused on regaining my health and wellness. I am so thankful to my husband for his unwavering support and hard work to make this work for us. I want to thank my IRL friends as well as my online families for all of their support in making sure that I was ready for today.
After talking about risk all month, I've decided to throw myself back into a serious effort to exercise and eat well. I've definitely fallen off the wagon on both since facing all of the challenges of the last few months, and I am going to recommit myself today to doing things right. For me, that means adopting a mostly paleo lifestyle and working out 4-5 times a week to start. It also means bringing more exercise into my daily activities, like taking longer walks with my dog, doing bodyweight exercises at home, etc.
I am also going to recommit myself to my yoga studies. Not just my yoga practice, but my readings on the path of yoga and the science behind it. It's something I'm passionate about, and I miss it.
Finally, I'm going to recommit myself to cooking healthy and yummy foods. It's a risk because I'm a lousy cook, but I can only get better by practicing.
What risk will you take after a month of hearing me talk about risk?
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Thursday, March 28, 2013
Risking it all on Health and Wellness
Rambam said, "The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision." Would you rather be in a state of indecision or accepting the consequences of a wrong decision?
I would much rather live with the consequences of a wrong decision. I lived a good part of my life playing it safe, saying 'what-if' and feeling a lot of regret.
So how does this translate to health and wellness?
With regards to health, I took a chance over a year ago on a brand new drug to treat my lupus since conventional treatments hadn't worked. It was a scary risk - it has only recently been approved by the FDA and was terribly expensive. I gave it a shot because I didn't know what to do and felt like I would have to stop working shortly if I didn't find some relief. After about a year of being on the drug, I had a horrible, terrible, traumatizing reaction to the drug, which immediately stopped me from working and put me on short term disability. I also ended up in the hospital for 7 days, sicker and more distraught than I have ever been in my life. As of today, I am still recovering from the effects of that horrific reaction, and am unable to resume my full-time job, or any work at the moment. Actually, my last official day of work is tomorrow, even though I've been on leave for two months. In a lot of ways it has been devastating, but the truth is I don't regret a second of it. That drug bought me a year of life that I couldn't have imagined possible. I was healthier than I had been since I'd been diagnosed, and I had a renewed spark and energy.
Today, I'm in the same spot I was right before I started the drug. I am having more complications with the disease than I have previously and I can't seem to find a medication combination that works as well. I still don't regret taking that risk. I don't regret coming off of the medication either. I could have tried again, to see if it was a fluke, but THAT was a risk I wasn't willing to take.
With regards to wellness, I'm making big changes in my life right now - not working and focusing on getting healthy and well. That means rounds and rounds of doctors appointments, seeking some complementary therapies, focusing on my yoga and meditation practice, learning new coping skills, and finding a life that causes less stress that can trigger my diseases. This is the biggest risk of all, because this is foreign territory. I've worked almost non-stop since I was 13 years old - I'm 32 now. I don't know any other kind of life than the fast paced, upwardly mobile, high pressured job life. I have to reinvent myself and my life in a way that respects my body/mind and promotes wellness and health. It's scary as hell, but I would rather live with the consequences of this decision than wonder what if...I've been down that road before and I've had glimpses of what would happen if I kept on with the lifestyle I was leading. I can say I'm much more comfortable risking the unknown, leading a brand new lifestyle and seeing where life takes me without any clear direction.
I'm also taking a risk being on disability...it's not something I've ever imagined or wanted. I'm learning that my illnesses do not define me but at this moment, they do exert major control over what I can and cannot do. Work, which has really defined me for so long, is no longer present. So I'm doing some soul searching and finding new meaning and purpose in my life. I'm finding ways to fill my time in ways that are healthy and promote overall wellness. I'm returning to my yoga practice, meditating more often, looking at free classes and support groups, embracing my online community of friends and fellow ambassadors, and am working on rebuilding my body and soul.
I can live with the consequences of my decisions...the alternative is just not an option. I move forward, and I move onward. We only have one life, and I'm not going to let it slip by.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I would much rather live with the consequences of a wrong decision. I lived a good part of my life playing it safe, saying 'what-if' and feeling a lot of regret.
So how does this translate to health and wellness?
With regards to health, I took a chance over a year ago on a brand new drug to treat my lupus since conventional treatments hadn't worked. It was a scary risk - it has only recently been approved by the FDA and was terribly expensive. I gave it a shot because I didn't know what to do and felt like I would have to stop working shortly if I didn't find some relief. After about a year of being on the drug, I had a horrible, terrible, traumatizing reaction to the drug, which immediately stopped me from working and put me on short term disability. I also ended up in the hospital for 7 days, sicker and more distraught than I have ever been in my life. As of today, I am still recovering from the effects of that horrific reaction, and am unable to resume my full-time job, or any work at the moment. Actually, my last official day of work is tomorrow, even though I've been on leave for two months. In a lot of ways it has been devastating, but the truth is I don't regret a second of it. That drug bought me a year of life that I couldn't have imagined possible. I was healthier than I had been since I'd been diagnosed, and I had a renewed spark and energy.
Today, I'm in the same spot I was right before I started the drug. I am having more complications with the disease than I have previously and I can't seem to find a medication combination that works as well. I still don't regret taking that risk. I don't regret coming off of the medication either. I could have tried again, to see if it was a fluke, but THAT was a risk I wasn't willing to take.
With regards to wellness, I'm making big changes in my life right now - not working and focusing on getting healthy and well. That means rounds and rounds of doctors appointments, seeking some complementary therapies, focusing on my yoga and meditation practice, learning new coping skills, and finding a life that causes less stress that can trigger my diseases. This is the biggest risk of all, because this is foreign territory. I've worked almost non-stop since I was 13 years old - I'm 32 now. I don't know any other kind of life than the fast paced, upwardly mobile, high pressured job life. I have to reinvent myself and my life in a way that respects my body/mind and promotes wellness and health. It's scary as hell, but I would rather live with the consequences of this decision than wonder what if...I've been down that road before and I've had glimpses of what would happen if I kept on with the lifestyle I was leading. I can say I'm much more comfortable risking the unknown, leading a brand new lifestyle and seeing where life takes me without any clear direction.
I'm also taking a risk being on disability...it's not something I've ever imagined or wanted. I'm learning that my illnesses do not define me but at this moment, they do exert major control over what I can and cannot do. Work, which has really defined me for so long, is no longer present. So I'm doing some soul searching and finding new meaning and purpose in my life. I'm finding ways to fill my time in ways that are healthy and promote overall wellness. I'm returning to my yoga practice, meditating more often, looking at free classes and support groups, embracing my online community of friends and fellow ambassadors, and am working on rebuilding my body and soul.
I can live with the consequences of my decisions...the alternative is just not an option. I move forward, and I move onward. We only have one life, and I'm not going to let it slip by.
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Wednesday, March 27, 2013
What cause would be worth any risk to me?
Theodore Roosevelt said, "No man is worth his salt who is not ready at all times to risk his well-being, to risk his body, to risk his life, in a great cause." What great cause would be worth any risk for you?
I am a passionate person, and one who has been an advocate for many social, environmental and health causes. I took a lot of time thinking about this post, because to be honest, I would risk very much for most of these causes that are near and dear to my heart. Settling on one was hard, especially because in a way it is self serving.
A cure for lupus would be worth any risk for me. Obviously I have a vested interest in finding a cure that has forever changed my life, but it's much much more than just about me. For those who don't really know what lupus is, it is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system no longer recognizes the difference between a foreign body and your own healthy tissue and organs. Therefore it begins to attack everything in your body. On the mild side of the disease, you basically feel like you're living with the flu every day of your life - aches and pains, swollen joints, indescribable fatigue, and discomfort. On the more severe side, the immune system attacks specific organs causing organ damage, failure and sometimes death. There is no cure, obviously, and oftentimes the medications are just as toxic and dangerous as the disease itself. There are actually only 4 medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of lupus, which makes managing and treating the disease very expensive.
What is most interesting (from a scientific standpoint) is that lupus is known as the great imitator. It mimics innumerable other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose. Additionally, because it attacks so many different symptoms in the body, solving lupus would unlock the key to the 100+ other autoimmune diseases out there from thyroid issues to rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. A cure for lupus will help not only the people like me living with this disease, but so many others. It would have a trickle effect that the medical community cannot even fathom.
I would risk anything to find a cure. For me, for my friends who have passed away from this disease, the ones who are struggling, and for those with other related diseases.
What risk would be worth anything to you?
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I am a passionate person, and one who has been an advocate for many social, environmental and health causes. I took a lot of time thinking about this post, because to be honest, I would risk very much for most of these causes that are near and dear to my heart. Settling on one was hard, especially because in a way it is self serving.
A cure for lupus would be worth any risk for me. Obviously I have a vested interest in finding a cure that has forever changed my life, but it's much much more than just about me. For those who don't really know what lupus is, it is an autoimmune disease in which your immune system no longer recognizes the difference between a foreign body and your own healthy tissue and organs. Therefore it begins to attack everything in your body. On the mild side of the disease, you basically feel like you're living with the flu every day of your life - aches and pains, swollen joints, indescribable fatigue, and discomfort. On the more severe side, the immune system attacks specific organs causing organ damage, failure and sometimes death. There is no cure, obviously, and oftentimes the medications are just as toxic and dangerous as the disease itself. There are actually only 4 medications approved by the FDA for the treatment of lupus, which makes managing and treating the disease very expensive.
What is most interesting (from a scientific standpoint) is that lupus is known as the great imitator. It mimics innumerable other diseases, making it difficult to diagnose. Additionally, because it attacks so many different symptoms in the body, solving lupus would unlock the key to the 100+ other autoimmune diseases out there from thyroid issues to rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. A cure for lupus will help not only the people like me living with this disease, but so many others. It would have a trickle effect that the medical community cannot even fathom.
I would risk anything to find a cure. For me, for my friends who have passed away from this disease, the ones who are struggling, and for those with other related diseases.
What risk would be worth anything to you?
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Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Beginning a New Chapter of Wellness
I'm in love with today's #NaBloPoMo prompt: Discuss this famous Anais Nin quote: "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
I love this quote and may pin it to my laptop, ipad, and just about everywhere.
I feel that this quote encapsulates the beginning of any new chapter in life. When your current situation is no longer viable, you are that bud, and it's easy to stay in that uncomfortable but because it is what you know. But after a while, you can no longer abide by the discomfort and have to try something new.
I definitely feel this way about my life...up until recently, I was a crazy workaholic whose primary activities revolved around work to the detriment of my health. I kept getting sicker despite all the great medications, and finally my body couldn't take it anymore and broke down. I stayed in a bit of a stasis during that broken down period because it was scary to contemplate anything else. Recently, it has become too painful to stay in that stasis, so I am embracing this new chapter of my life where I am focusing on not only getting healthier but being mentally, emotionally and physically well. That is my purpose, my long and short term goal.
This is brand new for me, because I have dedicated my life to helping others up until this point and haven't really taken care of myself. This new chapter requires me taking a huge step backwards, putting myself, my health and wellness first. It's scary, but it's too painful and frankly dangerous for my health to go back to the life I previously led.
I had a conversation the other day with someone about the difference between being healthy and being well. Healthy - to me - relates to sickness or the lack thereof. Wellness is more about quality of life - having a good balance of work, fun, friends, family, and self-care. You can definitely have one without the other, but without wellness, life can be very difficult.
So as I'm on my path to wellness, I'm learning to do things for me. Today I'm going to either one or two yoga classes (haven't decided yet), and going to spend time with two close friends.
How do you define wellness? What does it mean to you?
Do you have an example of where today's quote applies to your life?
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I love this quote and may pin it to my laptop, ipad, and just about everywhere.
I feel that this quote encapsulates the beginning of any new chapter in life. When your current situation is no longer viable, you are that bud, and it's easy to stay in that uncomfortable but because it is what you know. But after a while, you can no longer abide by the discomfort and have to try something new.
I definitely feel this way about my life...up until recently, I was a crazy workaholic whose primary activities revolved around work to the detriment of my health. I kept getting sicker despite all the great medications, and finally my body couldn't take it anymore and broke down. I stayed in a bit of a stasis during that broken down period because it was scary to contemplate anything else. Recently, it has become too painful to stay in that stasis, so I am embracing this new chapter of my life where I am focusing on not only getting healthier but being mentally, emotionally and physically well. That is my purpose, my long and short term goal.
This is brand new for me, because I have dedicated my life to helping others up until this point and haven't really taken care of myself. This new chapter requires me taking a huge step backwards, putting myself, my health and wellness first. It's scary, but it's too painful and frankly dangerous for my health to go back to the life I previously led.
I had a conversation the other day with someone about the difference between being healthy and being well. Healthy - to me - relates to sickness or the lack thereof. Wellness is more about quality of life - having a good balance of work, fun, friends, family, and self-care. You can definitely have one without the other, but without wellness, life can be very difficult.
So as I'm on my path to wellness, I'm learning to do things for me. Today I'm going to either one or two yoga classes (haven't decided yet), and going to spend time with two close friends.
How do you define wellness? What does it mean to you?
Do you have an example of where today's quote applies to your life?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, March 25, 2013
Public Speaking
Today's #NaBloPoMo topic makes me very happy :)
Do you like getting up to speak in front of a crowd?
I LOVE public speaking. I would do it as a living if I could :)
I wasn't always the outgoing chatterbox I am today. As a child I was super shy, but inquisitive. Saigon older i realized that to get things done, sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel. So I squeaked about things I was passionate about and after college I found my calling as a community organizer. Every time I got up to speak to a crowd was a personal risk - would I stutter? Would I blank out? Would I be paralyzed with fear? Inevitably the desire to get my point across and make my case for an issue that was important to me always won out.
Id rather take criticism than stay silent on an issue that is important to me any day. Yes, it is a risk but one i am willing to always take.
I'd like to say at this point in my life I am a pretty good public speaker. I rarely use notes and I always engage my crowd. Right now, I my cause is finding wellness for the chronically ill and as always, finding a cure for lupus. I'm also very passionate about creating green spaces as it relates to both environmental and health justice issues as well as rights of the mentally ill. My favorite topic to speak about is how one builds communities to achieve a goal in the aforementioned areas of interest. If you ever need a speaker on any of those topics, give me a holler. I'll also write on those topics as well. (I have a BA in psych and Spanish and a Master of Public Administration, so I actually know what I'm talking about. Most of the time :p)
So friends, I may try my hand a vlogging. What topics would you like me to cover?
Or where would you like to see me speak?
Let's make it happen!!!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Do you like getting up to speak in front of a crowd?
I LOVE public speaking. I would do it as a living if I could :)
I wasn't always the outgoing chatterbox I am today. As a child I was super shy, but inquisitive. Saigon older i realized that to get things done, sometimes you have to be the squeaky wheel. So I squeaked about things I was passionate about and after college I found my calling as a community organizer. Every time I got up to speak to a crowd was a personal risk - would I stutter? Would I blank out? Would I be paralyzed with fear? Inevitably the desire to get my point across and make my case for an issue that was important to me always won out.
Id rather take criticism than stay silent on an issue that is important to me any day. Yes, it is a risk but one i am willing to always take.
I'd like to say at this point in my life I am a pretty good public speaker. I rarely use notes and I always engage my crowd. Right now, I my cause is finding wellness for the chronically ill and as always, finding a cure for lupus. I'm also very passionate about creating green spaces as it relates to both environmental and health justice issues as well as rights of the mentally ill. My favorite topic to speak about is how one builds communities to achieve a goal in the aforementioned areas of interest. If you ever need a speaker on any of those topics, give me a holler. I'll also write on those topics as well. (I have a BA in psych and Spanish and a Master of Public Administration, so I actually know what I'm talking about. Most of the time :p)
So friends, I may try my hand a vlogging. What topics would you like me to cover?
Or where would you like to see me speak?
Let's make it happen!!!!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Pamper Me Silly Sunday
Today was a fun day. My friend and I had tickets to an event called Pamper Me Fabulous in downtown Los Angeles. It was a mix of health, wellness, and beauty fair with outdoor yoga and dance classes. There were some free services and everyone walked away with a gift bag full of goodies. I wish I can say that the event lived up to the hype, but as an event planner (among other things) myself, the venue seemed too small, there weren't as many samples or non-transactional ways to engage customers, and the vendors seemed to be in a rush to get out.
Don't get me wrong, there were some great and interesting people, and I had a lot of fun. I purchased some aromatherapy stuff to help deal with stress and headaches, got a 6 day supply of an apple cider vinegar juice, and learned about some really cool services that I can access for free. I got hand, neck,and head massages, almost got my eyebrows threaded (wait was too long), and got a consultation from a registered dietician about what supplements I should be taking with my lupus. Our local Aveda store will be doing demonstration classes on how to self massage and use various products and we met a wonderful chiropractor who offered to do free massages at an event for which my friend is on a volunteer committee. I also finally got to meet Ben Allen of GROOV3 and I am feeling inspired to take one of his dance classes (this girl has noooo rhythm).
Today was really a mental break that I needed and I feel ready to tackle the week, including going to a yoga class with friends on Tuesday.
Now I'm wiped out and am getting ready for Monday. Hope you had a fabulous Sunday!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Don't get me wrong, there were some great and interesting people, and I had a lot of fun. I purchased some aromatherapy stuff to help deal with stress and headaches, got a 6 day supply of an apple cider vinegar juice, and learned about some really cool services that I can access for free. I got hand, neck,and head massages, almost got my eyebrows threaded (wait was too long), and got a consultation from a registered dietician about what supplements I should be taking with my lupus. Our local Aveda store will be doing demonstration classes on how to self massage and use various products and we met a wonderful chiropractor who offered to do free massages at an event for which my friend is on a volunteer committee. I also finally got to meet Ben Allen of GROOV3 and I am feeling inspired to take one of his dance classes (this girl has noooo rhythm).
Today was really a mental break that I needed and I feel ready to tackle the week, including going to a yoga class with friends on Tuesday.
Now I'm wiped out and am getting ready for Monday. Hope you had a fabulous Sunday!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Saturday Confessional
I am feeling blah, ya'll. This recovery period has been rough on me and I've had no motivation for the last several weeks to do much of anything. I am not working at the moment, nor will be for a while, due to my illness, but I'm okay enough that I can do some light exercise and I'm JUST.NOT.FEELING.IT.
There, I've said it. I've lost my mojo, my juju, my swag, my motivation to get up, use free weights, exercise before the sun fully comes up, or even get to the yoga mat on a regular basis.
You know I'm all about accountability, so I figured if I put it out there, hopefully you can help me get back on track. I want to have the motivation, but it's been lost in the sea of blahs lately. I'm trying - I took two walks this morning - but it's rough going.
What do you do to snap out of a funk? How to you get your exercise motivation back?
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There, I've said it. I've lost my mojo, my juju, my swag, my motivation to get up, use free weights, exercise before the sun fully comes up, or even get to the yoga mat on a regular basis.
You know I'm all about accountability, so I figured if I put it out there, hopefully you can help me get back on track. I want to have the motivation, but it's been lost in the sea of blahs lately. I'm trying - I took two walks this morning - but it's rough going.
What do you do to snap out of a funk? How to you get your exercise motivation back?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, March 22, 2013
Happy Spring! Happy Friday!
I love spring. It's my favorite time of year. There's just enough chill in the air to bring a sweater a long in the mornings and evenings and deliciously warm days. I like to think of spring as a time of new beginnings - not in any religious terms - but in the cycle of the earth and the universe.
It's fitting then that I would be closing one chapter of my life and beginning another. Today's #NaBloPoMo post allowed me to write out the closure I needed on one particular chapter of my life.
The topic is discussing an opportunity that I let pass me by. Last year, in one of my more delirious moments, I decided to open up a consulting business that focused on strengthening the nonprofit sector in Los Angeles. I did my research, built my website, got business cards, did a business plan and then did nothing. I half-heartedly looked for clients, but let my job and other commitments get in the way of growing my business. After less than a year and a total gross earnings of $50, I decided to close my business.
I regret letting this opportunity pass me by because I think it is something I could have enjoyed and excelled in. Professionally, my strengths are in program development and management, and I could have been a good resource for startup nonprofits. I think I would have enjoyed the challenge of building my brand, and I'm disappointed that I let that opportunity die.
As I'm entering this new chapter in my life, I vow not to make that mistake again. Whatever I do, I will do with my full attention and intent or not at all.
Are there opportunities that you've let pass by that you regret?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It's fitting then that I would be closing one chapter of my life and beginning another. Today's #NaBloPoMo post allowed me to write out the closure I needed on one particular chapter of my life.
The topic is discussing an opportunity that I let pass me by. Last year, in one of my more delirious moments, I decided to open up a consulting business that focused on strengthening the nonprofit sector in Los Angeles. I did my research, built my website, got business cards, did a business plan and then did nothing. I half-heartedly looked for clients, but let my job and other commitments get in the way of growing my business. After less than a year and a total gross earnings of $50, I decided to close my business.
I regret letting this opportunity pass me by because I think it is something I could have enjoyed and excelled in. Professionally, my strengths are in program development and management, and I could have been a good resource for startup nonprofits. I think I would have enjoyed the challenge of building my brand, and I'm disappointed that I let that opportunity die.
As I'm entering this new chapter in my life, I vow not to make that mistake again. Whatever I do, I will do with my full attention and intent or not at all.
Are there opportunities that you've let pass by that you regret?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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